Beowulf Vs. Parzival

The act of being honorable has been written about and discussed for ages, beginning from The Laxdaela Saga to the more recent works by Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings. Throughout literary history authors have created and restored figures from all times that seem to represent what is honorable and chivalrous. The two literary legends compared in this paper are Beowulf and Parzival. These two figures in their own way find within them what is virtuous. At first impression it seems as though Beowulf is the warrior who contains the honor within himself, but as the two characters are compared in depth, it becomes obvious that Parzival's journey through manhood brings him to a much more noble and ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?Join Essayworld today to view this entire essayand over 50,000 other term papers

on the sea,"(Beowulf,65). Beowulf's stubborn pride lead him even at a young age to challenge what may have seemed beyond his reach for glory. Later on, Beowulf hearing the horrific tales of the monster Grendel that had been reeking havoc at Heorot, abruptly left his homeland to prove his gallantry. "The wiser sought to dissuade him from voyaging hardly or not at all," but the strong-headed Beowulf refused to listen to reason. Unlike Beowulf, Parzival was actually hidden from all opportunities of adventure by his mother. She fled to a place where she believed she could escape all traces of knighthood, which she believed to be evil. She was not successful though, and as soon as Parzival laid his eyes on the god-like knight, he made up his mind to leave his mother and all that he knew to seek adventure. The absence of her son drove her to an early grave. This action is one that Parzival was later deemed "unhonorable" for and one he deeply regretted. These boys both started out ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.Write better papers. Get better grades.

was like to not be successful. Parzival did not expierence success until he learned what honor really was. It was said of him that, "No kurvenal had reared him, he knew nothing of fine manners," (Parzival, 83) He seemed doomed to fail in the world of the knighthood, because of his lack of spiritual and physical training. He is described as "naïve", "simple", and as a "raw young man" not at all prepared for he sought out in his vast world. His first encounter was with the Red Knight, Ither, who we later learn is a relative of Parzivals'. Parzival battles with Ither and kills him. After the battle is finished, Parzival stripped the corpse of its armor for himself. "Later on reaching ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library.Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports,and research papers in 2 minutes or less.